Surprise! T-Mobile Announces Not Just One, But Three Grand Prize Winners of the Second-Annual Changemaker Challenge
February 21 2020 - 3:36PM
Business Wire
T-Mobile, the T-Mobile Foundation and Ashoka
reveal that ALL three category winning teams of amazing youth will
go home with seed money for their inspiring projects – and
more!
Oops, we did it again! T-Mobile senior leaders were SO impressed
by the top three teams competing for the Grand Prize at this year’s
T-Mobile Changemaker Challenge, they couldn’t just choose one
winner… instead they awarded all three Category Winners the Grand
Prize!
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Surprise! T-Mobile Announces Not Just
One, But Three Grand Prize Winners of the Second-Annual Changemaker
Challenge (Photo: Business Wire)
The Changemaker Challenge is a nationwide search for youth ages
13-23 with big ideas for how to change the world for good. This
week, 30 winning teams attended the three-day Changemaker Challenge
Lab hosted at T-Mobile’s Bellevue, Wash., headquarters where the
three category winning teams, AVA (Technology), Stories Untold
(Education) and Youth Climate Action Coalition (Environment) got
the chance to pitch their ideas to T-Mobile leadership and compete
for the Grand Prize.
Instead of just ONE team walking away with the Grand Prize, all
three teams were selected to each receive a total of $10,000 in
seed funding for their project, a return trip back to HQ to
supercharge their ideas… AND in an unexpected Un-carrier twist,
access to some of T-Mobile’s best and brightest senior leaders who
will serve as advocates for the winning teams and provide an extra
level of support and strategic counsel personalized to their
individual projects—including marketing and social media advice,
software development support, business advice and mentorship.
“The Changemaker Challenge Lab is always one of THE most
inspirational weeks at T-Mobile and this year did NOT disappoint —
I was blown away! These young people have proven to me yet again
that they have incredible stories and ideas and are willing to take
big risks to drive positive, long-term change in their
communities,” said Mike Sievert, T-Mobile President and COO. “We
were incredibly inspired by what we heard and look forward to
rolling up our sleeves alongside these teams to help them amplify
their impact. This is just the beginning of their amazing
journeys!”
To learn more about this year’s Changemaker Challenge Grand
Prize winners, see below:
- AVA: Created by college student Vanessa Castañeda Gill,
founder and CEO of Social Cipher, Ava is a video game that helps
neurodiverse youth apply social skills in a safe and accessible
space. Ava rose to the top of T-Mobile’s Technology category
because the game offers an innovative approach to tackle a pressing
issue, building inclusivity and diversity into America’s
communities through an accessible and fun video game. Vanessa and
team plan to use the seed funding to help subsidize a pilot to
distribute the game to low income schools and autism service
providers in Los Angeles.
- Stories Untold US: Launched by Carlitos Rodriguez
– a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in
Parkland, FL that took 17 of his classmates’ lives in 2018 –
Stories Untold US aims to provide a platform and a voice for those
who have been affected by gun violence. The project was chosen as
the Education Category Winner because of the personal and heartfelt
approach to creating impactful conversations around a challenging
topic. Carlitos plans to use the funds to expand the project to
more cities, sharing the stories of more survivors to continue
advocating for gun violence prevention.
- Youth Climate Action Coalition: Launched by
co-founders Kevin Malaekeh, Jake McCullough and Jack Galloway,
Youth Climate Action Coalition (YCAC) is a program focused on
helping schools take steps to become more sustainable, reducing
water usage through low-flow faucets and launching composting
programs to divert organic waste from landfills. YCAC was chosen as
the Environment category leader because their project provided an
easily replicable solution at a low cost that could provide massive
impact very quickly. The team plans to use their seed funding to
provide grants to schools that want to join the program but don’t
have funding allocated for sustainability projects.
The three-day T-Mobile Changemaker Lab was designed to foster
community among young innovators while helping them develop the
skills to turn their projects into reality. A highlight of this
year’s lab was the mentorship and connection the changemakers had
with Nadya Okamoto, CEO of Period, the largest youth-run women’s
health NGO and a recent Forbes 30 under 30 honoree. Nadya took time
to meet with members of this year’s Changemaker class to give
advice and encouragement. The events also included a speaking
appearance from Jaclyn Corin, one of the organizers from the
historic March for Our Lives. Jaclyn is also the founder of Never
Again MSD, a student-led political action committee for gun
control.
For more information about the T-Mobile Changemaker Challenge
and to check out this year’s full list of winners, visit
T-Mobile.com/Changemaker or visit T-Mobile’s media library to
download B-roll or Images.
About T-Mobile US, Inc.
As America's Un-carrier, T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is
redefining the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services
through leading product and service innovation. Our advanced
nationwide 4G LTE network delivers outstanding wireless experiences
to 86 million customers who are unwilling to compromise on quality
and value. Based in Bellevue, Washington, T-Mobile US provides
services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands,
T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. For more information, please visit
http://www.t-mobile.com.
About T-Mobile Foundation
The T-Mobile Foundation is committed to changing the world for
good. The Foundation advances positive change in our communities by
supporting causes that focus on youth development, and by providing
opportunities for T-Mobile employees to engage in causes that
benefit the communities where they live and work. The T-Mobile
Foundation, created and funded by T-Mobile US, Inc., is recognized
by the IRS as a Section 501(c)(3) private foundation.
About Ashoka
Ashoka is the largest global network of leading social
entrepreneurs—individuals with new ideas to systemically address
the world’s biggest challenges and the entrepreneurial skill to
transform those ideas into national, regional and global social
impact. Over 35 years, Ashoka has supported more than 3,500 social
entrepreneurs in 90 countries with solutions addressing society’s
most pressing issues. Ashoka’s vision is a world in which Everyone
is a Changemaker—a society that responds quickly and effectively to
challenges, and where each individual has the freedom, confidence
and societal support to address any social problem. For more
information, visit ashoka.org.
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